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By David UndercofflerLOS ANGELES TIMES • Wednesday April 9, 2014 5:20 AM

General Motors got some much-needed good news yesterday with the announcement that two of its
midsize SUVs are the safest in their segment, according to recent crash tests.

The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox and its GMC twin, the Terrain, were the only vehicles to earn the
good rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its front overlap crash
test.

The result helped the GM vehicles earn the IIHS’ coveted Top Safety Pick Plus recommendation.
Also garnering the designation was Toyota’s 2014 Highlander, although it earned only an
acceptable rating in the small overlap crash test.

Honda’s Pilot was the lowest-ranked vehicle of the group, a surprisingly poor performance for a
company that has excelled recently in crash ratings.

The IIHS began putting all vehicles through the new test in 2012 after research showed that
about a quarter of all serious injuries in frontal collisions came from this type of crash. This
test replicates what happens to a vehicle when the front corner of it hits a fixed object, like a
telephone pole or a tree. The vehicles are scored
good,
acceptable,
marginal or
poor.

For 2014, the IIHS upped the ante for automakers to earn its recommendations. To be a Top Safety
Pick, a vehicle needs to rate either
good or
acceptable in the small overlap crash tests, and
good ratings in four other tests. Above that, only models with optional
front-crash-prevention systems are eligible for the Top Safety Pick Plus award.

The other vehicles tested were 2014 models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner, Ford
Explorer, Kia Sorrento and Mazda CX-9. None were named a Top Safety Pick.

Honda’s Pilot scored the worst in the midsize SUV segment, earning an overall
poor score. It was a surprise given that the Accord and Civic sedans and Odyssey minivan
have won Top Safety Pick Plus designations.

Yet the Pilot’s driver space was “seriously compromised” by the overlap crash test, the IIHS
said.

Honda pointed out that the 2013 Honda Pilot — which shares an identical structure to the 2014
model — was an IIHS Top Safety Pick in 2013.